Suzua ✓

epilogue

【 S U Z U A 】

⌕ EPILOGUE:
结束 | | ending

The television played in the background as Kit was busy burying himself with work. He hadn't seem to catch a break in a while. And it wasn't like college debt was helping him calm his nerves. The stacks of paperwork that needed to be completed before the moon is highest in the sky. He occasionally pondered what would happen if he didn't complete it. Of course, it was a silly thought. How else would he be able to raise enough money to repay the banks, and keep his two darlings happy.

His eyes wandered to the little girl sitting in the couch with her teddy bear wrapped around her arms. Her hair tied into two twin tails by a red, grosgrain ribbon. The small child innocently stared at the screen watching her favorite characters dance around. He noticed an acute smile spread across her lips.

"Kit?" A woman asked, peeking her head out from the kitchen. A fragrant scent traveling with her as she grew closer to her husband. The smell of pumpkin pie and ramen noodles surround the both of them as she gave him a hug from behind. Kit touched her arms that managed to wrap themselves around his neck, sinking into the embrace.

Oh, how he adored the little family the two created. He could've asked for anything better. If he were ever in the slumps, turning to his two girls would immediately bring smiles to his face. A kiss landed on his left cheek, his heart still thumping irregularly at the display of affection.

He melted into her touch, leaving him silently humming a tune only the two of them shared in the bedroom when all others in the house were quietly tucked away in bed. Kit turned to face her with adoring eyes, a look of pleading and yearning filling every crevice of his body.

"Shh," she sang quietly into his ear, leaving light kisses on them and into his hair. "She's still awake. Maybe later if we're not so tired."

Reluctantly, he agreed to her words. She rubbed his biceps a final time before disappearing into the kitchen once more to continue. His tongue felt dry, the small voice shouting at him in the back of his mind telling him to get a few playful kisses in before turning full attention on his work. But, he couldn't do that. Otherwise his dearly beloved would scold him.

His phone began to chime, noticing a notification from the local news channel. Curiosity filled him, as he stood up and walked into the living room. His daughter innocently sat on the couch, watching her father scamper to the remote. The young child didn't say anything when her father changed the channel from her program to the news. She took it as an opportunity to see what her mother was making in the kitchen.

"Breaking news. At eight fifty this morning, police have caught Suzuka Murakami and Rhys Wite at their apartment in Boston, Massachusetts. When police arrived at the scene, Wite proceeded to fire his weapon. Wounding two officers and killing another. Murakami attempted to kill one of the wounded officers until she was eventually detained. Amongst the crossfire, Wite was vitally shot and died at the scene. Massachusetts police are currently investigating their apartment for any clues regarding their previous crimes."

Kit watched at they showed a short clip of the apartment he had visited all those years ago. Two names: one familiar while the other made him ponder for a while longer than he should've. He began racking his brain, searching through his memories of that female's familiar face. How could he have forgotten her? But the name the reporter stated wasn't the same as the one she told him when they first met.

Suzuka?

Has he ever openly called her by Asteria? Maybe not around Rhys. He always felt something strange about that other guy but never spoke upon it. At the time, he feared that if he mentioned something bad about her friend, she'd get upset. That wasn't something he wanted at the time.

When she left him standing alone on that street—watching her red dress flow behind her as she walked further away—he wanted to rush after her. It didn't matter what his parents said about the two of them, about her. He would've ignored the words she told him and continued to pursue her.

Yet, he didn't. He didn't stop her from running away when he had the chance to change the both of their lives. Could've prevented her from getting arrested in this current reality. Could've helped the both of them in their youth. But now he was an adult. Married with a child.

He doesn't regret meeting his wife. And as he looks back onto the week when he was 18, he doesn't regret those days either. Kit simply wished he could save them before this outcome happened.

"Those are the ones you told me about, huh?" she asked, resting a hand on his shoulder and taking a seat beside him on the couch. He nodded, not looking at her. How could he view his wife as he was reminiscing about the girl he met at 18? The woman looked at the television, seeing two photos side by side. A male and a female not much older than the two who were sitting safely at their home. "Would you have gone after her back then if you knew that this would happen in her future?"

How was he supposed to respond to such a question? If he responded rashly, agreeing with her words, would she feel disappointed? Jealous? Kit didn't want to take any risks. After meeting her at his college graduation party, he never thought about looking back. He had found a new happiness and drive.

"Whatever you say, I won't take it to heart. So, don't let my emotions stop you from answering truthfully."

Finally, he met her eyes. Ones that he was enchanted by upon their first meeting. A pair that he could get lost in at any moment. "Truthfully. I hoped she'd change for the better. But I don't regret it. Otherwise all of this wouldn't have happened. I feel more happy than I did back then."

The smaller Liu rushed into the room, her teddy nowhere to be seen as she went to embrace her parents. Kit felt at ease, sinking into their warm touch.

———— ꒰⚘݄꒱ ————

you've reached the end of suzua. hope you enjoyed your stay !! C:

it was a lot of fun writing this, i might possibly write more mature
stories in the future but that's to be decided. honestly, i'm so proud
of myself for finishing another story. so, thank you for joining me
on this journey

@ zh_aili signing off . . .