Hand in hand, James and Brenda walked up the stairs to their bedroom on the first floor. As they came into the room, they immediately saw the little card sitting on the large king-size bed.
James knew immediately who it was from and nearly broke down. However, he managed to control himself and picked up the card.
I love you, Daddy James and Mom Brenda. I will always be your daughter Sakura, no matter who I am or where I am.
Brenda came to read the card by her husband and gasped out in anguish, tears rolling down her cheeks. James took her into his arms as tears, too, rolled down his cheeks.
***
Nicolas came into his bedroom as he checked his e-mail on his tablet. Once he’d finished replying to the various messages that needed his attention pronto, he put down the tablet and finally noticed the pretty card that sat in the middle of his bed.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, wondering whom it was from. He picked up the card. It had a pretty hand-painted picture of cherry blossoms. He opened the card and read:
To be, or not to be, that is the question.
You forge your own destiny.
Sakura
Hand shaking, Nicolas whispered, “Sakura.”
***
Tristan picked up the small, pretty card and read it. As he opened it, a photo slipped out and landed on the bed. He picked it up and saw it was a picture of him with Sakura and Logan. He and Logan were kissing her at Mary and Peter’s wedding ceremony. He turned his attention to the card and read:
Sorry I slapped you that day in the library years ago.
I’m sorry I never got to know you better.
Sakura
“Sakura? What is the meaning of this?” Tristan said and read the card again.
***
Logan stared at the photo of him and Tristan kissing Sakura on her cheeks. “Sakura?” he said. Then he read the card again:
I will miss your laughter and your teasing.
I’m sorry I never get to know you better.
Sakura
“What?” Logan said. “This is no time for jokes, Sakura. When I see you tomorrow, I’ll tell you how to do a proper joke.”
***
Hayden stared at the little card and the small box sitting next to it, confused. He picked the card up, opened it, and read:
I love your motorbike and I love those wonderful rides near the cliff.
Sakura
Hayden picked up the box and found an earring. He gritted his teeth, his eyes dark. It was the earring she’d bought for him when they were children.
“Sakura,” he said, clutching the earring in his hand.
***
Conrad cocked his head to one side as he looked at the pretty card sitting on his bed, wondering whom it was from. Grinning, thinking it must be one of the maids who just might have a crush on him, he picked it up and opened it.
My dearest Conrad,
You always make me smile and I thank you for that.
You are my favorite brother, and I love you dearly.
Sakura
Conrad blinked and read through the contents again. Then he realized what it meant. No, he thought. It couldn’t be right. Someone must be playing tricks on him. It must be Tristan. He rushed out of his room and ran to Sakura’s bedroom. He didn’t even bother to knock and burst in. He found the room as it was before, clean and tidy. But there were things missing. The laptop, the camera, and Sakura’s bag were all gone. That was when he realized she was really gone. He collapsed onto his knees and whispered, “Sakura.”
Nicolas, Tristan, Logan, and Hayden came into her room then. They found Conrad beside Sakura’s bed. That was when they, too, realized she was gone—really gone.
Conrad lifted his head to his brothers and said, “She left us.”
***
Sebastian stared at the little card on his bed, his heart thumping loudly within his chest. He knew the instant he’d seen the card who it was from and what the meaning of it was. He, however, refused to think about it, refused to pick it up and read the contents. That was when he heard someone rushing into Sakura’s room and a moment later more footsteps.
“She left us,” he heard Conrad say.
It was as though the world had collapsed on him, and he felt sick to his stomach. Suddenly he felt dizzy, and his legs staggered. He sat on the bed, finding it difficult to breathe. He felt as though he was being suffocated.
Then, as if he couldn’t stand the torment of not knowing what that card said, he reached for it. Slowly he took a deep breath and opened the card.
Mono no aware.
I love you.
Sakura
Sebastian closed his eyes, his face contorted with anguish. “Sakura,” he cried softly under his breath. “Sakura.” His body was shaking uncontrollably as he sat there, silently crying his heart out.
Why did you have to leave? Why? Who told you to leave? Have you no heart? You said you love me. So why did you leave me?
“Why?” he whispered. “Why?” Then he shook his head, refusing to submit to this stupid fate she’d made out for him. He wouldn’t accept this. Not Sebastian. He wasn’t just going to sit here and let her run off just like that. Oh no. He’d track her down and bring her back.
“Mono no aware bullshit!” he swore. “I’m going to find you, Sakura, and I will never allow you out of my sight again, ever!” He lifted his head then, a determined look in his azure eyes, his face a hard mask.
***
Darcy opened his eyes. His head hurt. In fact, his whole body was in pain. What happened? Why couldn’t he remember anything? Slowly, he brought his fingers to his lips and stroked the pale flesh. He closed his eyes again, trying to remember what had happened. All that he remembered was him trying to save Sakura in the sea. Is she safe? Where is she?
He continued to stroke his dry lips as his mind searched far and wide for that elusive memory. Why did he have the feeling that someone had kissed him last night? The warm lips. The gentle touches.
Oh, God, he couldn’t remember.
Then he saw the card sitting on the bedside table. He reached out for it and noted it was very pretty. It was a watercolor painting of a cherry tree, the very same tree that he and Sakura had sat under and where he’d kissed her. Suddenly, his heart ached within his chest and his body tensed as though he knew.
Slowly, he opened the card.
I will always be your Snow.
I love you.
Sakura
A sound escaped his lips and Darcy felt dizzy. His heart began to beat fast.
“Snow,” he whispered, closing his eyes, trying to calm his beating heart. Then when he fully comprehended the meaning of those few words, he flashed his eyes open, jolted up, and screamed, “Sakura!”
His heart was pounding so hard and so irregularly within his chest that the machine started beeping loudly in the room, indicating abnormal heart rate. Darcy was lost in his rage and despair as tears flowed down his cheeks from his eyes and the world spun around him.
“Sakura, don’t leave me!” he cried, his eyes dark, his voice shaking. “Don’t. I love you. You can’t leave me. Please, Sakura.”
He scrambled off the bed, mindlessly tearing away IV lines from his arms. “I have to find you. Where are you, Sakura? Please, come back.”
The door burst open and two nurses rushed into the room. They took one look at him and immediately took him by the arms and tried to make him return to bed.
Darcy wouldn’t listen to them, however, and shook his head as he fought them off, thrusting a nurse against the wall as he headed for the door. It was then that the brothers, who had just arrived, rushed into the room. Sebastian caught Darcy in his arms and managed to calm him down.
“She’s gone,” Darcy whispered, tears in his eyes. “She left.”
Sebastian nodded.
“We can’t just leave it and do nothing,” Darcy said. “We have to find her.” He looked up at his brothers, begging them with his eyes to agree with him, to help him find the woman he loved. Before him stood Nicolas, Tristan, Logan, Hayden, and Conrad, and one by one, they nodded, a determined look in their eyes.
“We’ll look for her, Darcy,” Sebastian said, his hand tight on Darcy’s shoulder. “We’ll find her.”
“Together,” Darcy said. “We’ll find her together.”
Sebastian nodded and said, “Yes, together.”
The brothers nodded again, and Darcy smiled, tears in his eyes.