Hope ~Yato x Reader AU~

Epilogue

~7 Years Later~

It's warm.

It's warm and the breeze feels good against my skin, though I can smell the approaching rain lingering in it. It lurks in the overcast, waiting for the sky to burst open. It hides and waits patiently, but it waits, nonetheless. And it's weather like this that brings some sense of familiarity. Déjà vu, really, though I can never quite figure out why and today is no different.

Still, it's warm. It's warm and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

"Are you about ready?" a voice asks, pulling me from my concentration.

I blink, turning to them, my eyes meeting the purest of sable orbs, a smile being flashed at me. Kaito sits in the driver's seat, his stare bouncing between me and the road as his muscles flex beneath his skin. Even now, while dressed in his favorite T-shirt and distressed jeans as the wind creeping in through his cracked window disheveling his inky locks, he appears so beautiful to me.

I smile, nodding, "Yeah."

"Kay. And we have everything?" he presses.

"Yup," I declare, holding a small notebook up. "I checked it all off on the list." I drop it back into my lap. "You're okay with stopping off there?"

Kaito once again glimpses at me, a warm smile bowing his lips. Even after all this time, the way he looks at me still causes my heart to leap up into my throat with elation. Even when the world tried to keep us apart, we still found our way back to each other. And no matter what, I'm certain we'll always find our way back to each other.

"Of course," he assures me. "He was kind to me as well."

"Right," I smile.

After a few minutes of driving, Kaito turns onto a road that leads up to the elevated parts of Nora. It's a mountain that overlooks the sea, hordes of cherry blossom trees huddling over the road. I've traveled up it a few times over the last several years and every time I do, I'm reminded of how beautiful it is. But it's not just the cherry blossoms that I gawk at. Nestled towards the summit rests an old, abandoned shrine of old. I'm not too sure about its origin or why it's been left after who knows how long, but it does amaze me.

Kaito brings the vehicle to a parking area and kills the engine, turning to me. "He said to meet him by the old shrine, right?"

"Yeah," I nod. "Here; I'll grab -"

"No. You go on ahead up," he insists. "I'll grab everything."

A smile bows my lips. "I'll grab the bag at least."

"Fine," he laughs.

We exit the car and I grab the one item he'll let me get and begin for the path that leads to the shrine. It's a short walk from the parking lot and nothing tedious, so I can manage that much.

I make my ascend up a small flight of stairs and glance around. The cherry blossom trees are all standing tall, some of the petals falling to the ground as the wind blows. The overcast continues to filter the sun, adding a hauntingly beautiful charm to the abandoned shrine. It's stunning and one of the many things I'll miss.

"Y/N," a voice calls, grasping my attention.

I turn to see Mr. Sui. He is approaching me, a warm smile lifting his lips, friendliness radiating from him with each step he takes. I mirror a smile back and make my way to him.

"Heading out?" he asks, stopping in front of me.

I nod, "Yeah. Kaito and I wanna make it to Tokyo before it storms."