I'm not really sure how Japanese funerals go – forgive me. This is a Western one mixed in with some Asian tradition I did at someone's funeral. Enjoy the finale.

With Wings Tainted

Chapter 3 : Goodbye Is Never Forever

A small boy ran through the emerald fields dancing in the warm breeze. His arms were outstretched towards the heavens, laughter echoing through the air.

"It's so nice out!!" he chimed. "Mommy, Daddy!"

A young couple walked behind him, hand in hand, heart with heart. They smiled at the little boy and urged him to go play instead of sticking close to the parents. He smiled and ran further into the field, the glistening sunlight in his brown hair. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a winged creature fluttering gently in the breeze. Infatuated, he ran after the creature, trying to catch it within his hands.

"Wait!" he called after it, leaping forward and leaping for it. The winged thing evaded his clumsy hands and continued flying away. He chased it hopelessly, not once able to capture it.

Suddenly, he saw another one fly by, next to the original one. "Two!" he cried excitedly, trying to get one of them. It then slowed down and flew onto a blade of grass, tucking its gossamer wings in.

The little boy tried sneaking up behind it, and then jumped at it, his moment to attack. The animal flew up and away from him. He sat there, upset and on the verge of tears.

"…Ryo," a voice called to him gently.

He looked up and saw his mother, smiling at him, looking at him with warm eyes. "Mommy…" he sniffled.

She picked him up and held him in her arms. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked.

"That thing won't let me hold it!" he cried.

She giggled and set him back down. Soothing his hair away from his forehead, she whispered to him, "It's called a butterfly. And you have to be gentle with it." Ryo was utterly confused. He didn't know what she meant. "Watch me, okay?" she told him.

His mother moved calmly through the grass and towards the butterfly resting on a bloom of golden dandelion. She bent down slowly and reached her hand out, hovering it steadily next to the flower. The butterfly's wings twitched a little before the butterfly flew gracefully onto her finger. Ryo stood there, excitement washing through him. Giddy, he ran over to his mother and grinned. She had cupped her hands around the butterfly and smiled.

"Wow! You caught one, Mommy!" he said. "Can I see it? Can I? Can I?" he asked.

"Sh…" she quieted him down. "You have to be gentle. Everything should be dealt with in a gentle manner."

His mom kneeled on the grass and slowly opened her hands up to reveal a butterfly in all its glory. Its wings were black and orange – a monarch.

His smile widened as he looked at it. "Can we keep it?" he asked,

She chuckled lightly. "Ryo, it wants to go back to its home. We can't keep it," she told him. She thrust her palms up towards the sky, signaling the butterfly to continue on its path.

"It looks like a fairy…" he said dreamily, gazing up as it flew away. "Will it ever come back?"

She then looked down at Ryo. "My little boy." Her voice seemed like a song. "Of course it will come back one day. You just have to be gentle…"

He smiled to himself. "I promise!"

When Ryo awoke that morning, the sun was out and shining like there was no tomorrow. How ironic that such a beautiful day would serve as the day of a wake and funeral. Ryo stayed in bed for a moment, contemplating a memory from the past and sighed.

"Now…now the dream comes to me. After I've ruined the lives of the two most important people to me…" he mumbled angrily. "Damn it!" He bunched up his sheets and laid his head down on the pillow again, staring at the white ceiling. "God…you're a cruel man." Rolling over, he buried his head in his pillow and closed his eyes. And then, he felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks. He let himself finish his cry before he reluctantly getting out of bed. He had to get ready, although he would never be ready.

He took a shower, an ice cold one, forcing himself to stay awake instead of running away back into his dreams. After that, he brushed his teeth, and got dressed in a black suit. He didn't eat. In fact, if he did, he was sure it wouldn't stay down for very long. His suit was stiff, and his shoes were too. Ryo wasn't used to being formal – he liked a tee-shirt and jeans. Giving himself one final look in the mirror, he combed his hair and slipped on a jacket. He opened the door, ready to head to a service, but something stopped him. Was it just his fear, or his anxiety? Or maybe it was that he forgot something. Probably, but those weren't it. He turned his head back, resting his eyes on a picture frame.

They were happy.

They were smiling.

Ryo walked towards the portrait and stared, as if he had never seen it before. A family photo hung on the wall, one that was taken by his father. He had timed the camera at that field, and everyone gathered in front of the camera. It was the end of a wonderful day. Everyone was actually happy. Ryo looked up, sentiment clogging his throat. Slowly, he touched the picture, his hand resting on the portrait.

"Ryo…" a voice spoke slowly.

He turned his head towards the door. "Ruki."

"It's time, Ryo," she said quietly. She wore all black as well. "Are you alright?"

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yes," he managed to speak.

"Do you need time alone? I can wait for you outside," she offered.

"It's okay. I was just…thinking. That's all." He forced a smile, and slipped on his coat. She stood there, watching his every move, sensing every ounce of pain. She almost cried – for pity and for her own helplessness to do anything for him. They walked in each other's company to the funeral home. He didn't want to be cooped up in a car, not today. The funeral home was barren, a couple of cars in the parking lot – probably from the workers. Ryo and Ruki walked in, looking around at all the flowers placed around the reception, and the thick atmosphere of the place. His stomach churned as he looked up and saw a room with a sign reading "Akiyama H." over it.

She held onto his hand, feeling it tighten around her own grip. He was strong. She looked up at his face. Worry. Sorrow. Pain. It was all there. It was contagious, she noted, feeling her own heart clench her chest. They entered the room, where a coffin laid open, exposing a pale corpse.

Ryo cried, the tears spilling again. He didn't know how much he cried in the past week. He'd lost count. The sight of the being laying there, lifeless, was too much for him to handle. And it was his father, the man who had giving him life, the man who was there to support him, the man who…loved him. Ryo fell to the ground, clutching Ruki's hand, and watching his father through blurry eyes. She stood there, trying to hold in her emotion, trying to act strong. But tears have their way of escaping.

She kneeled down next to Ryo, and held him, just like he did to her a few nights ago. He felt warm inside when she had him in her arms and it bitterly clashed with the icy pain that stabbed at him.

"I was such a little brat," he sobbed quietly.

Ruki could only wrap her arms around him tighter. "You weren't. You aren't." She wanted to break down and cry herself, but she needed to be strong for him.

"I always argued, swore. I was ready to attack him," he confessed. "I… I never meant for it to be serious though…"

Ruki helped Ryo into a seat and rocked him gently, whispering that he was in a better place and that it wasn't his fault. The tears only seemed to fall harder. Hours passed, and he didn't stop his sobs. Numerous people came to the funeral, offering condolences and their prayers for him. Ryo choked back his cries long enough to thank those who had come to honor his father.

"Mr. Akiyama," a man spoke. "It's almost time…"

Ryo's eyes widened – it was too soon. He got up and wearily wandered over to the casket that held his father's mortal body. Shivers ran up his back, disbelief swarming in his mind. His body was so stiff, so pale, so alien.

"Father…" Ryo mumbled, feeling the burning tears returning. "I'm so sorry," he chanted over and over. "I never thought you'd be gone so soon. I had assumed that I'd be the one that killed you," he said, an ironic smile plaguing his face. "Hey, Dad? I'll make you a deal. If you take care of Mom in heaven, I'll become a better person. I'll change the world for the better. I'll become the man you wanted me to be. Okay?" Ryo wiped the tears with his sleeve. "Sleep well."

Ryo placed his hand on his father's and held on.

The sun had already painted the horizon with a mix of oranges and yellows. Hours ago, the funeral had ended and everyone had left. Ryo hadn't gone home but instead, the seaside. The waves washed upon the shores, only to recede back into the endless sea, over and over. An endless cycle just like life and death. Ryo watched over the sea from atop a grassy ledge far from the city. The seagulls called out for one another in the sky, circling around like a dream catcher. He sighed, before laying down in the tall grass and letting his eyes close. He opened his eyes again minutes later, hoping that everything was a dream. One big joke. An illusion.

Nothing had changed.

He rolled up the sleeves to his button up and sat up, looking back over the sea once more. How he'd love to loose himself in its vast intensity.

Ryo.

His head snapped up as he looked around. "Who's here?"

Silence.

A winged angel flew aimlessly from flower to flower. A butterfly. He felt the nostalgia flood back into him, memories of his family. He walked gently over towards the dandelion it rested on, its gossamer wings tucked back.

Gently. Gently, he thought.

Slowly he cupped his hands around the flower and the butterfly. He smiled gently and looked at its fragile body.

"Ryo," a voice called from the other end.

He looked over. "Ruki…" he whispered, walking towards her almost instinctively.

She wore a summer dress, a very rare thing to see. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and her eyes seemed red and poofy from crying. "I've been looking for you," she told him as he stood inches away from her.

"… I was thinking," he told her.

"About what?"

"The past. The future. Now," he responded again. "Give me your hands."

She obeyed and raised her palms in front of Ryo. He opened up his hands slowly and set thee butterfly into her hands. "It's beautiful," she said quietly, in awe over such a small creature.

"Yes," he agreed, almost breathing the word. "It's from my mother and father." She looked at him with curious eyes. "They sent it from heaven." His eyes wandered back out towards the sea and he smiled. "They're telling me to remember the past, but to grow and experience the future. I know it…"

Ruki smiled too and set the faerie free, letting it be taken by the breeze. "Come on. Let's go," she spoke softly.

He nodded and held onto her hand. He knew that one day he would see them again, not for a long while though.

But during that long wait, he would have Ruki there by his side.

End.

Oh wow – I haven't updated in awhile ^^;; All thanks to school – but now it's done and I'm updated! =D I hope you enjoyed this story – I had fun writing it =) Please tell me how you liked it ^_^