Forget Me Not

Twenty-Four | 二十四

Twenty Four

Sakura, Iwaizumi, [Name] and Oikawa stopped by the florist after school to buy some flowers for Ryouichi. Iwaizumi and Oikawa watched as Sakura and [Name] searched every vase, carefully picking out what they wanted to get.

Sakura stopped before a vase of blue and purple Forget Me Nots. She gently traced the small petals of the flower with her finger tips. She became lost in her own thoughts, staring into the soft blue of the flower without realizing.

"Those are nice," Iwaizumi commented, bringing Sakura back from her thoughts. She turned to him, surprised by his sudden presence and turned back to the flower, realizing that she had been touching it for quite a while now that one of the petals broke off, resting on her finger.

She stared at the petal on her finger. "Yeah..."

--

[Name] crouched down, bending her knees forward and placing the bouquet of Forget Me Nots by her side. Oikawa, Iwaizumi and Sakura stood behind her, quietly watching her.

She read the name engraved on the black marble tombstone: [Last Name] Ryouichi. She reached out to the tombstone, dusting off the fallen leaves on it and traced her brother's name gently with her fingertip.

"Oniichan..." She said quietly, staring at his name. Her heart ached at how unfamiliar his name was to her. She placed the flowers she bought right by the side of his tomb, adjusting them a little. She lowered the head, tilting her chin in as she chewed onto her lower lip. Her brows knitted at the twist forming in her chest.

Despite learning as much as she could from both her parents and Sakura, she still couldn't seem to be able to remember a thing about Ryouichi. Yet without those memories, her heart was still unsettled, stirring within her whenever she thought about him. She knew that she would never be able to fill in that hole inside of her.

"... Oniichan..." She repeated, tears lining her eyes. "I'm finally here to see you..." She took a shaky breath, pulling her fingers into her palms. "Your little sister... Is finally here..." Her voice broke and she whimpered, tears pouring out of her eyes, dripping to the ground. "I'm sorry it took me so long..."

Oikawa took a shaky breath, glancing to the side. He couldn't keep his eyes on the [Hair Color] any longer without breaking his own heart. He was frustrated and mad at himself for being so helpless at moments like these but he knew that [Name] should be given time to be with Ryouichi alone after all this while. He took a peek at Sakura and Iwaizumi who were by his side.

Iwaizumi had a grimace on his face with his hands on his pockets, like they usually would be when he was feeling frustrated. Oikawa knew that in his pockets, his nails were probably pressing so deep against his palms that they were going to leave a mark for a long time. After all, Iwaizumi felt the most helpless when he saw a girl cry.

By his side, Sakura was trying to control her expressions only to have it seem harder than usual. Her brows were knitted and hands balled into tight fists. She crushed the dirt under her foot as a way to let out her frustrations. With her pursed lips, she stared at Ryouichi's grave over [Name]'s shoulder.

It had only been a month ago since she last visited her grave. However, no matter how often she visits him, she still couldn't quite get used to it. It was a constant painful reminder that she would no longer be able to see his smile, or hear his laughter, or feel his warmth.

She shifted her gaze to [Name], watching her small frail shoulder tremble lightly as she cried. Hearing her soft sobs and sniffles, she couldn't help but to be reminded of her conversation with Ryouichi.