Syaoran just stood, frozen in place.
Sakura sat on the bed and asked quietly. "Are you keeping something from me?" She looked away and shook her head "Cause to be honest Syaoran, I don't know if I could handle that right now." The put her hand to her head and looked to the bedspread. "I don't know. . . " Her eyes glassed over.
Syaoran panicked. "Sakura, don't." He walked over to her and sat down on the bed next to her. "Don't cry." He whispered.
Sakura looked up to him. "Then tell me. Where are we?"
Syaoran sighed. "I didn't want you to get mad. I just wanted to get you away. Does it really matter how far out we went?" She didn't move and he looked away running a hand through his hair. "I wanted to be close enough so that if something happened and we needed to get back before-"
Sakura touched his shoulder, stopping him before he could finish what he was going to say. "Thank you Syao." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for trying to protect me."
Syaoran accepted her and returned the hug. "Sakura, I-"
Sakura smiled. "Call Eriol. He's waiting."
Syaoran released her and looked to his phone. "You sure your ready?"
Sakura nodded and pulled a bit of hair behind her ear. "Yeah."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The phone rang.
Getting up from the chair, he picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Touya. . ."
"Dad? How's mom?"
There was a sigh on the other end. "Maybe you should come back home son."
There was a long pause between the two. A silence that ate at their souls. Touya walked the phone over to the chair he had just come from and sat down.
Fujitaka spoke first. "You need to come and say your goodbyes."
Touya could clearly hear the sadness in his fathers voice and struggled himself with trying to hold in his hurting emotions. Letting a few tears slide down his face, he whispered, "I know." Closing his eyes he finished off, "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Alright. I'll let your mother know your coming."
"Thank you dad."
"Just get here safely Touya. Take care."
Touya held the phone to his ear even after his father hung up, tears flowing at a steady pace. Speaking softly as if his father could still hear he mumbled, "Take care of yourself dad. We still need you." Lowering the phone he brought his other hand up to his face covering his eyes.
Unknown to him, another man entered the room. His sad but gentle expression said it all. His silver hair fell over his eyes as he leaned into the wall whispering to himself. "Oh Touya."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure?" The man spoke in a concerned tone.
"Yeah. Everything is fine Eriol." Syaoran replied sounding somewhat like his normal self.
"So, you want us to come over now?" Eriol asked making sure he understood clearly before Syaoran had a chance to yell at him again.
Syaoran laughed fully understanding what Eriol was getting at. "Yeah, are you up to it?"
Eriol looked over to Tomoyo who was standing by the door just waiting for the sign to go. "Oh yeah, we are ready!" Tomoyo put her hand on the door handle and waited.
"Okay, then I guess we'll go let you in." He looked over to Sakura who sat next to him and smiled.
"Okay. See you in a minute." Eriol stood and hung up the phone.
"Now?" Tomoyo asked nervously.
Eriol nodded. "Now."
Tomoyo giggled happily and pulled the door open quickly stepping out into the hallway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fujitaka leaned against the wall as the nurse leaned over the sleeping Nadeshiko, checking her vital signs. Sighing, she stood from the bed and turned to look at Fujitaka. He stood with exhaustion written obviously over his whole being, but determination locked onto his face. She smiled at his strength and walked over to him whispering lightly, "Please accompany me to the living room."
He nodded and followed behind her out the door, but not before stealing a glance of his wife lying pale, but peacefully on their bed.
When they reached the living room the nurse motioned for him to take a seat on the sofa while sitting across from him in a chair. "Have you called your family sir?"
He nodded lightly. "My son is on his way, but I haven't called my daughter yet."
The nurse spoke with as much kindness and compassion as she could gather at the moment. "You may want to sir."
Fujitaka looked down to his hands and mumbled out, "I know." Covering his face with both of his hands, he took in a deep breath. Exhaling, he removed his hands and made eye contact with the nurse once more. "How much time do you think we have?"
The nurse waited for a minute before answering. "A few days. The end of the week at most." He looked away and she reached across the small coffee table placing a hand on his arm whispering, "I wouldn't wait too log sir."
"I just want to give her a day, then I will bring her back." He acknowledged to the nurse trying his best to smile.
The nurse nodded and stood up going back in to check on Nadeshiko leaving Fujitaka on the sofa to contemplate how to deliver the news to Sakura.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Horseback riding?" Sakura questioned turning to face Syaoran who sat next to her.
"Yeah." Syaoran turned to Eriol with a sly grin. "Unless you can think of anything better to do."
Eriol shook his hands around wildly, "No no, that's fine." Lowering his hands he looked towards Tomoyo. "What do you think?"
"Are you kidding? That sounds amazing!" Tomoyo looked to Sakura who was placed beside her. "Right Sakura?"
Sakura smiled kindly to the girl. She and Tomoyo had hit it off right from the start. The girls had been chatting as if they had been friends forever. Sakura felt comfortable around her, which was a nice change. 'Maybe everything will turn out okay.' Sakura thought to herself and turned to Syaoran who was smiling at her. Pushing the chair away from the table, she stood up. "Well, lets go."
Everyone at the table smiled happily and stood joining her. As Sakura lead them out of the hotel restaurant, Syaoran was close behind followed by Eriol then Tomoyo. All of them were thinking about somebody else. Eriol and Tomoyo were concerned about Sakura and Syaoran; Syaoran was concerned about Sakura; and Sakura felt like she was holding the weight of the world on her shoulders with the worry about her family.
Sakura sat on the bed and asked quietly. "Are you keeping something from me?" She looked away and shook her head "Cause to be honest Syaoran, I don't know if I could handle that right now." The put her hand to her head and looked to the bedspread. "I don't know. . . " Her eyes glassed over.
Syaoran panicked. "Sakura, don't." He walked over to her and sat down on the bed next to her. "Don't cry." He whispered.
Sakura looked up to him. "Then tell me. Where are we?"
Syaoran sighed. "I didn't want you to get mad. I just wanted to get you away. Does it really matter how far out we went?" She didn't move and he looked away running a hand through his hair. "I wanted to be close enough so that if something happened and we needed to get back before-"
Sakura touched his shoulder, stopping him before he could finish what he was going to say. "Thank you Syao." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for trying to protect me."
Syaoran accepted her and returned the hug. "Sakura, I-"
Sakura smiled. "Call Eriol. He's waiting."
Syaoran released her and looked to his phone. "You sure your ready?"
Sakura nodded and pulled a bit of hair behind her ear. "Yeah."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The phone rang.
Getting up from the chair, he picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Touya. . ."
"Dad? How's mom?"
There was a sigh on the other end. "Maybe you should come back home son."
There was a long pause between the two. A silence that ate at their souls. Touya walked the phone over to the chair he had just come from and sat down.
Fujitaka spoke first. "You need to come and say your goodbyes."
Touya could clearly hear the sadness in his fathers voice and struggled himself with trying to hold in his hurting emotions. Letting a few tears slide down his face, he whispered, "I know." Closing his eyes he finished off, "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Alright. I'll let your mother know your coming."
"Thank you dad."
"Just get here safely Touya. Take care."
Touya held the phone to his ear even after his father hung up, tears flowing at a steady pace. Speaking softly as if his father could still hear he mumbled, "Take care of yourself dad. We still need you." Lowering the phone he brought his other hand up to his face covering his eyes.
Unknown to him, another man entered the room. His sad but gentle expression said it all. His silver hair fell over his eyes as he leaned into the wall whispering to himself. "Oh Touya."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure?" The man spoke in a concerned tone.
"Yeah. Everything is fine Eriol." Syaoran replied sounding somewhat like his normal self.
"So, you want us to come over now?" Eriol asked making sure he understood clearly before Syaoran had a chance to yell at him again.
Syaoran laughed fully understanding what Eriol was getting at. "Yeah, are you up to it?"
Eriol looked over to Tomoyo who was standing by the door just waiting for the sign to go. "Oh yeah, we are ready!" Tomoyo put her hand on the door handle and waited.
"Okay, then I guess we'll go let you in." He looked over to Sakura who sat next to him and smiled.
"Okay. See you in a minute." Eriol stood and hung up the phone.
"Now?" Tomoyo asked nervously.
Eriol nodded. "Now."
Tomoyo giggled happily and pulled the door open quickly stepping out into the hallway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fujitaka leaned against the wall as the nurse leaned over the sleeping Nadeshiko, checking her vital signs. Sighing, she stood from the bed and turned to look at Fujitaka. He stood with exhaustion written obviously over his whole being, but determination locked onto his face. She smiled at his strength and walked over to him whispering lightly, "Please accompany me to the living room."
He nodded and followed behind her out the door, but not before stealing a glance of his wife lying pale, but peacefully on their bed.
When they reached the living room the nurse motioned for him to take a seat on the sofa while sitting across from him in a chair. "Have you called your family sir?"
He nodded lightly. "My son is on his way, but I haven't called my daughter yet."
The nurse spoke with as much kindness and compassion as she could gather at the moment. "You may want to sir."
Fujitaka looked down to his hands and mumbled out, "I know." Covering his face with both of his hands, he took in a deep breath. Exhaling, he removed his hands and made eye contact with the nurse once more. "How much time do you think we have?"
The nurse waited for a minute before answering. "A few days. The end of the week at most." He looked away and she reached across the small coffee table placing a hand on his arm whispering, "I wouldn't wait too log sir."
"I just want to give her a day, then I will bring her back." He acknowledged to the nurse trying his best to smile.
The nurse nodded and stood up going back in to check on Nadeshiko leaving Fujitaka on the sofa to contemplate how to deliver the news to Sakura.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Horseback riding?" Sakura questioned turning to face Syaoran who sat next to her.
"Yeah." Syaoran turned to Eriol with a sly grin. "Unless you can think of anything better to do."
Eriol shook his hands around wildly, "No no, that's fine." Lowering his hands he looked towards Tomoyo. "What do you think?"
"Are you kidding? That sounds amazing!" Tomoyo looked to Sakura who was placed beside her. "Right Sakura?"
Sakura smiled kindly to the girl. She and Tomoyo had hit it off right from the start. The girls had been chatting as if they had been friends forever. Sakura felt comfortable around her, which was a nice change. 'Maybe everything will turn out okay.' Sakura thought to herself and turned to Syaoran who was smiling at her. Pushing the chair away from the table, she stood up. "Well, lets go."
Everyone at the table smiled happily and stood joining her. As Sakura lead them out of the hotel restaurant, Syaoran was close behind followed by Eriol then Tomoyo. All of them were thinking about somebody else. Eriol and Tomoyo were concerned about Sakura and Syaoran; Syaoran was concerned about Sakura; and Sakura felt like she was holding the weight of the world on her shoulders with the worry about her family.