Chapter Four
Deaths
Tomoyo fell off the bed with a thump. She lazily picked up the phone beside her bed and greeted dryly.
"Good morning to you, too, Daidouji-san," a deep voice replied sarcastically.
She immediately knew who it was. "I thought you were finished asking questions, Detective Miep," she said. "If you're thinking of asking further questions, I can't do that."
He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm not calling about that. This situation concerned some bodies in very bad state. The scientists have already examined their genes and discovered who these two bodies belong to."
The way he was speaking reminded Tomoyo of an anchor man, ending very deep and sort of high.
"I need you to come to the station to identify these people, just to be on the safe side," he continued. "It's almost noon. I apologize for asking you to come during a storm, but this is important." Then he added hesitantly, "I'm sorry that it's been a month before I notify you of this."
Tomoyo didn't know what to say. She didn't expect something like this. "O - Okay," she said uncertainly. "I - I'll arrive as soon as I can."
"Thank you." He added, "If traffic is heavy, you won't need to come," then hung up.
Tomoyo let the phone down gently. She went to Eriol's room. The rain drops smashed against the roof. Eriol's lamp was on. She walked over to his desk and saw a bunch of papers. The one on top was labeled Deaths, but she was in a hurry. She placed it in the first drawer on the right.
Tomoyo kissed Eriol on the forehead. She quickly scribbled down an away note on the desk, then left. She needed time to think.
At the company, there was this girl that was somehow attached to Eriol. Obviously, she didn't know he was engaged. Anyway, she went almost everywhere with him. Maybe it was because she was new; this was her first week. There was no reason to be jealous, but all girls feel that, don't they? Well, it shows they care and trust by not interfering.
Eriol laughed and played with her, even helping her sometimes. She made him coffee and gave him paper - almost everything he needed for work. Tomoyo thought she caught them flirting once, but didn't stay to watch it any further. She was mad at him, anyway, because he didn't tell her about the "chat" between him and Syaoran.
Tomoyo even thought she saw Eriol and the girl hooking hands as they walked to hand in their reports. She tried 100% very hard to stay calm and not march right up to him, demanding why he was doing what he was doing when he knew she was in the area.
As Tomoyo road on and on, her heart beat faster and faster. She was fearful of identifying the dead people, whoever they are. Actually, she was afraid of who they are. Could they somehow be related to Sakura? If so, who are they?
Two pictures instantly popped into her brain. She gulped as she parked her car. Tomoyo left the tissues in the car, so she'd have a reason not to start crying, like she did last month. It sounded dumb, but in Tomoyo's situation, it was the best she could do.
Detective Miep was probably a few years older than herself, even though he was a detective, according to Tomoyo. He had handsome features and very dark brown hair with brown-green eyes. He was somewhat a few inches taller than Tomoyo.
Detective Miep met her at the front door. "I'm glad you came, even though the storm is getting worse. This way," he said, leading her toward the elevator.
They stood in silence. Tomoyo was nervous. She was sweating like crazy, even though it's cold because of the rain.
Detective Miep gave her a pair of latex gloves after they entered a room. "You don't want to put any misleading fingerprints on the bodies, would you?" he said, chuckling a little. Tomoyo's quietness stopped him. Then he sighed tiredly.
"Why would I touch the bodies?" she asked as he continued to lead her down the hallway.
"Well, you can never tell," he replied, scratching his head. Finally, he stopped and took out a key. Tomoyo figured they were in some underground level since there weren't any windows around, just plain, fluorescent lights.
He opened the door. A sour smell reached Tomoyo's nose; she felt like throwing up. There was a doctor in his uniform and a pair of gloves at one end of the room. He turned to them, then went to shake Detective Miep's hands.
"So this is the lady?" the doctor asked, an eyebrow raised. There was a bit of surprise in his voice.
"Yes. She's ready to identify the bodies," Detective Miep said.
Tomoyo felt her heart skip a beat when the drawer were opened and a black plastic bag came out. The room instantly became colder. The bag was opened.
"Recognize him?" Detective Miep asked, looking at Tomoyo.
Tomoyo felt as if a rock had hit her. She cupped her hand over her mouth. The hair and long face was none other than Fujitaka. Even without glasses, he still looked the same. His skin was pale and there was blood almost all over his face. For some reason, only his head was exposed.
Tomoyo looked down the body. There was no indication of hands and legs. She couldn't let her mind wander, so she nodded. "He's Kinomoto Fujitaka, Sakura's father," she told them, her voice not even above a whisper. Her eyes fell to the floor.
Both men looked at each other and nodded. The doctor slid out another plastic bag and opened it.
This body consisted of black hair that no longer had gel for some time. There was a stern expression on his face and his eyes remained open; they were black.
Another rock hit her. Tomoyo almost fell back, but Detective Miep held her up. A tear rolled down her cheek.
I haven't noticed that... she thought bitterly. I should've noticed... No wonder they weren't heard from. I was so caugt up in helping Sakura, that I didn't know! How didn't I know? That's so stupid! It's been a month! She continued to yell mentally.
"Um, Daidouji-san?" Detective Miep said, shaking her gently.
Tomoyo stared at him sadly. She was looking around the room, avoiding the body. Finally, after about one minute, she said, "He's Touya, Sakura's brother," in the same tone as before.
"I - I gotta go," she added quickly, rushing out of the room. Detective Miep followed her, to make sure she got out the right way. She couldn't stop crying and yelling at herself mentally. She felt like it was her fault now, much more than before.
"Don't let yourself down," he said, patting her shoulder.
Tomoyo pushed him away. She didn't want sympathy or comforting words now. All she wanted was peace and quiet, a place to think about everything. "Don't touch me!" she cried, running to her car.
Her tears didn't stop, even when she reached her house. She suddenly remembered the Deaths topic in Eriol's room. For some reason, she wanted to know about this. Maybe it was instinct, or curiousity, but she felt like reading something badly. She wanted her mind away from Sakura's topic, to make it short.
Eriol was in the showers since she could hear the water running. The restroom was at the end of the hallway. His bed was still unmade.
Tomoyo looked through the drawers until she found the correct one. She took it out and read Deaths.
Found on the opposite side of the sidewalk were two bodies, both males. Doctors concluded tires had passed by and crushed the bones of these two people instantly. One died with his eyes opened. He was Kinomoto Sakura's brother, Touya. Evidences say he was taking care of his father and Kinomto Sakura's father, Fujitaka, who was enrolled in a center for the old. For some odd reason, they were at the scene of the crime. The nurses at the place where Fujitaka stayed was unable to give police and investigators any leading information. However, they did mention that there was a fight between the family. Was Kinomto Fujitaka and Touya visiting the daughter of the family to apologize, or were they kidnapped and was planned to die?
She looked at the bottom of the page. It said that this was printed about a month ago... Tomoyo slid to the floor. She wiped her tears, desperately trying to stop them. What she didn't get was what happen to Sakura. She continued to look through the other pages and read them frantically. When she was finished, she found more than she needed.
She searched through the folder for the piece of paper that was mentioned - or at least a photo - but there was nothing else.
Calmly, Tomoyo placed the folder in the first drawer on the right, got up, turned off the light, closed the door, and left the house quietly. She made sure she didn't leave any evidence that she came back behind. Eriol came out once she pulled out of the driveway.
Sakura took the cage and laid it in such a way that half of it was outside and the other half inside. The green canary was cleaning itself, often stopping to dodge a few rain drops. Sakura rested her head on her hand beside the cage. She sighed without reason.
She liked it this way, the calmness. For a month now, there wasn't much, and she appreciated it. She was enjoying it so much that she was a little careless about the cage that tilted a bit. The canary chirped for her attention, but Sakura was too distracted with the rain and a few cars entering the parkway.
At times like these, you always worry that something will go wrong...
While Sakura was looking outside and thinking of all the good things, Tomoyo was the one thinking of all the bad things. She couldn't bring herself to trust the people in the hospital anymore. After what she had read, she wasn't able to think straight.
Tomoyo rushed to the hospital and flew past the nurse at the front desk. Kayla Smith, the old woman, quickly scribbled down Tomoyo's name on a visitor's badge in case anyone asks. Then Syaoran came in. He closed his umbrella and smiled at her.
"Daidouji-san had just passed," the nurse told him.
Syaoran raised any eyebrow. "It's raining," he said.
She shrugged. "I guess she isn't very comfortable to leave Sakura alone while it's raining. I understand."
That only added to the superstition.
Tomoyo slammed open the door accidentally; a rush of lightning passed, almost shaking the building. Everything after that was too silent.
The cage tilted at an angle that caused it to fall. The canary flew up and tried to get out, but it was too late. Sakura tried to reach for it, but it was too slippery because of the rain. Another lightning made more confusion.
Sakura witnessed the cage hit the ground and broke. She reached further, hoping against hope that she'll be able to reach it in time. A memory went passed her mind. The day that it happened. She shrieked. She remembered her want to commit suicide and just leave this world.
Syaoran, who was walking towards Sakura's room silently, trying not to disturb anything that Tomoyo might be telling Sakura, when he heard the awful crash. Sakura's scream sent him flying to her room. He grabbed her in time and pulled her back in.
Sakura was partially soaked. She was crying for something. He held her tightly, trying to conjole her that it was all right. He glimpsed outside and saw the cage.
"I'll buy you another one," he said.
That only made it worse.
Sakura tried to escape from his grasp, but he held her too tightly. She finally gave up and cried, resting her head on his chest.
Tomoyo was standing against the wall, tears falling from her face. She couldn't figure out what happened the day Sakura was raped, but she felt responsible for this accident. She concluded it had something that caused the horrible memories to re-enter Sakura's head.
Eriol came in. After he took his shower, he went to his room. For some reason, he felt something wrong. Then he saw that the drawers weren't properly pushed in; one had too much in it. He opened the first drawer and saw the papers. He remembered he put it in the second drawer.
Another thing caught his attention. The paper on top was supposed to be Deaths, not Evidences. Deaths was the topic he read over and over again to make sure it was really there. Also, the door to his bedroom was supposed to be open, not closed.
He concluded Tomoyo found out. And the only place she would be at this moment was by Sakura's side.
As he advanced toward the building, he saw the cage drop and heard Sakura's shriek. He ran up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Kayla Smith gave him a weird look; she was wondering why everything kept coming in so fast. ("Adults these days," she said.)
Eriol was shaking and sweating like crazy. He was really afraid of what Tomoyo will do. And he found her on the floor. When she saw him, she ran out and down the stairs. Eriol yelled for her to stop, but she won't listen.
When they were outside, Eriol caught up to her. No matter how many people tried to stop him, he managed to reach her. He grabbed Tomoyo's arm and turned her around. He didn't know whether she was crying a lot or if it was the rain that made it hard to see her.
"Let me go!" she ordered, pushing him away.
"No!" he yelled. "I won't. I'll never let go."
"You didn't tell me, Eriol!" she said. "You didn't tell me! I was so blind - not being able to see that Sakura's brother and father didn't come to visit her... Why didn't you tell me?!"
"You had more things to worry about! There's your job and the thought that it was your fault about what happened to Sakura!"
She whispered, "And that girl..."
It was raining so hard that they were almost unable to hear the other. Tomoyo's focus was on the ground. Her body shook uncontrollably.
"Tomoyo..."
"Let me go, Eriol," she yelled harshly. "Stay away from me!" Tomoyo hated him so much now. She couldn't get past the part that he didn't tell her about the folder. All she wanted was to know about all the things that was involved with Sakura that day.
"No," he said.
An officer on patrol walked over to them. He jerked Eriol away from Tomoyo. "Is there something wrong here, ma'am?" he asked, directing the question at Tomoyo.
She nodded.
The officer turned to Eriol. "Sir, I will have to ask you not to bother this lady," he said glumly.
"She's my fiancée!" Eriol retorted. It was raining so hard that his glasses were practically slipping off his nose.
The next thing Tomoyo did broke his heart. She let go of more tears. She brought up her ring finger and took off the engagement ring. Tomoyo slammed it on the ground. She ran away, trying hard not to wipe her tears so that Eriol won't know she's crying. But he already knew; he knew her too well.
"Officer, there's some problem in here!" a deep voice yelled from inside the building. The officer gave Eriol a look that meant he shouldn't bother Tomoyo - or else - then went in.
Tomoyo's car disappeared.
Eriol stooped down and picked up the ring. He tried to dry it, then put it in his coat pocket. He went to Sakura's room.
When Eriol ran after Tomoyo, Syaoran decided that it was his responsibility for Sakura now. He led her to the bed and let her sit down, since it was the place that he thought was Sakura's "safe place" for herself when she's in pain. Syaoran tried to detach Sakura from him, but she wouldn't let go.
Syaoran didn't mean to hear what he heard between Eriol and Tomoyo, but the voices seemed to travel up the room. Maybe it's because the window is open and Sakura's room was located at the front of the hospital. And since Syaoran heard it, Sakura must've heard it, too; she only cried harder.
The nurses and doctors came in, even a policeman. Syaoran gave them a look that indicated they shouldn't bother him or Sakura. So they left, closing the door.
Eriol arrived. He looked at them through the window from the door. He smiled faintly at Syaoran, then left.
Syaoran let Sakura cried until she fell asleep. He set her on the bed and covered her neck since the rain made it so cold. The whole time, she held his arm. He tried to pry it loose - it was getting colder - but still didn't succeed. So he reached for the chair with his leg and sat on it. Syaoran rested his head on the bed.
He fell asleep, his hand holding Sakura's and the other way around.
Tomoyo was driving blind. She went anywhere she wanted, just to get away from this. It pained her to know that Fujitaka and Touya are dead - without her knowing. To make it worse, Eriol didn't say anything to her.
"What was he thinking?!" she demanded, turning the radio as loud as it would go. The rain still beat the volume.
She yelled in frustration. Tomoyo grabbed a bunch of tissues and wiped her tears. She decided to return to the hospital.
Tomoyo kept the engine on as she opened the door. She walked toward the place that she and Eriol had a fight a few hours ago. She searched for the ring, but couldn't find it. She hit the ground. Her eyes roamed to where the cage fell from Sakura's window. There was none in sight.
"They must've cleaned it up," she said.
Tomoyo slept in a hotel for a couple of hours.
Eriol cleaned up Tomoyo's room, in case she returned. He left the ring on the desk, in its case, opened. The window was closed because of the rain. He threw away the folder of Sakura's information.
He wanted nothing more than Tomoyo back. She'll return in a few days, he was sure. After all, the only interference was Sakura's problem, right?
He left out that girl... that kept bothering him at work... She was getting on Tomoyo's nerves... Her name? Joy... Chamfort Joy.
To Be Continued...